Flip Flop Slap

From the corner of my eye I caught some movement not too far away and heard a loud slap as I turned toward the disturbance. There was white water thrown into the air, but not the mist normally accompanying a surfacing whale.

Then up rose the magnificent fluke of a humpback whale. It lingered high above the water for a moment or two before coming back down again with an almighty slap, sending sea spray everywhere.

I watched for a few moments, just taking in the spectacle, as the whale flapped and slapped some more, not thinking I had time for any photos. I was expecting this wonderful display to be brief, but a minute later the exhibition continued. Out came my camera and I got plenty more flaps and slaps before the whale gave one last slap, proceeded to roll around on its back for a while, then descended below the surface.

A moment later the whale broke the surface with that familiar plume of exhaled mist before heading off on its way.

There are all sorts of reasons why humpback whales slap their flukes, but this time around I am sure it was just for the fun of it.


#Norway #Skjervoy #TailFlap #HumpbackWhale #Whale #MarineMammals #AnimalBehaviour